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1/14/14

My blue and white obsession...

I feel like I've been sharing a lot of "new" decor items lately. All the "newness" makes sense because we've basically been putting together and furnishing a whole new house for the past (almost) year, but today I wanted to share a specific collection of older items I've decorated with for years and give you guys some ideas about how I use them.

Blue and white...anything. Mostly where ceramics are concerned.

It's actually a pretty traditional decor theme, however, it's been popping up all over the place lately. It's sort of genius (and incredibly easy) because you can add a few pieces into any room and instantly make it feel more collected and put-together.

You can seriously put a blue and white piece in ANY room and it works. Seriously.

Also (and this is probably the coolest thing about it), you can sort of pull-together your ENTIRE house with a few blue and white pieces. I like every room to have it's own "feel". While rooms may feel completely different, you can throw in a bit of blue and white in different rooms and instantly make your entire house feel more cohesive.

I've been collecting mine for years and years. I started my collection about 8 or so years ago. My mom gave me a tea set and some candle sticks. To this day I cannot find those candlesticks. I have no idea what happened to them. I think between a move years and years back, I packed them up and now, well, they're gone...haha. Funny how that happens....

Anyway, I mostly have vases and ginger jars.

I didn't realize just how many pieces I have! So I'm definitely not showing you every single blue and white thing I own (I actually have quite a bit of it put away because I don't want it to look a ceramic explosion up in here), I just want to give you some ideas and show you how I used these pieces in our home.

See how it gives a bit of personality to my office / sitting room above? I like how this room feels light and airy, but still a little fun, feminine, and collected with different pieces I love.

Here's what I recently did in our foyer with some more of my blue and white.

I like to collect mine from antique stores. I've found some of the prettiest blue and white pieces at them. Stores like TJ Maxx and Homegoods can be awesome for finding affordable vases and ginger jars too. I prefer mine to look a bit faded and more antiqued. So sometimes, that can be a bit hard to find at TJ or Homegoods because the mass-produced ones can tend look a bit too dark and cartoon-y. But that can be pretty too! I just like to mix it up.

So let's talk about this new round foyer table...

Haha, ok so something new did work it's way in. I found it at an antique store, along with the two matching ginger jars beneath it.

I had been keeping an eye out for a round table for this area of our foyer for a while now. I like the mirrored chest we had there before, but I felt like with all the white and light colors in this space, a different piece that wasn't so... reflective (especially with the mirror above it).... would look much better.

And it does. I'm so happy with it!

I took those photos of the foyer at sunset so the lighting definitely got a bit weird for a minute there...haha.

One more recent blue and white find...

This gorgeous "garden seat". It's huge! Super heavy and unique. It actually seems like it could be really old. I also got it for a crazy-good price at an antique store.

I put it in front of my great-grandfather's "library table" (more on that here). I think it works perfectly there! It also adds a bit of (soft) color and further balances that side of the room.

Here's some more ideas from around my house!

A pretty, simple centerpiece...

I LOVE displaying blue and white in a grouped collection... I used to actually display twice this amount (I have a lot put away) on this table below, but I like to change it up every now and then!
Oh, and they hold pink flowers beautifully!

A cute little umbrella/whatever holder in our foyer...

Also, a tiny touch of blue and white in the kitchen...

These have flanked our sink for years. I just love these little topiaries. Adding some symmetry with blue and white is one of my favorite things to do.
It's just simple and subtle.

So like I said, check out antique stores for unique blue and white finds. If you're looking for a lot of pieces to group together and you'd like them to be somewhat similar, you can sometimes luck out at antique stores, but you may find more similar pieces at places like TJ Maxx and Homegoods. Even Pier1! I'd say to stay away from big catalog stores or specialty "catalog" stores/websites. Lots of their blue and white pieces are crazy overpriced and that's never a good look. Don't go broke starting a collection! If you love it like I do or want to start a collection of your own, make it fun! Gradually hunt for unique pieces at good prices rather than settling for every blue and white thing you find or randomly searching for and buying up a ton of it to get an insta-collection of the stuff. Let's face it, that's no fun.

So I hope you all enjoyed this week's little home decor break! Do any of you collect blue and white too?

Oh and for more inspiration... This is one of my FAVORITE decor books. TONS of blue and white gorgeous-ness. Mine lives on my coffee table in my office. ;)

Hi Tiffany, I just wanted to say that your home decor blog posts are my absolute favourites and I love when they appear in my inbox. You have such a great eye for things and for what goes where & with what. I'm gradually working my way through our house that we'll have lived in for 19 years this May, and although it's a slow job ( I have RA & can't decorate as fast as I'd like to, even though it used to be my job), it's also a slow process as I can no longer work due to the RA so getting the money together for projects is also a factor with only one earner. But we have in the last few years refitted both our bathroom & kitchen which I totally love & I'm still adding finishing touches to both rooms. I love the shabby chic style & like to wait until I see just the right piece to add. I also like each room to have it's own feel & personality. I must tell you I love the new lighting fixture for the stairway to the basement, the way it throws the light around is gorgeous. Please keep the posts comings, you have a beautiful home & I'm loving getting inspiration from you & Brad.

Long time follower, first time commenting...But I just had to because I too am a huge lover of blue and white! I love all of your pieces and how their colors just pop out among your neutral things. Perfection!

This is such a cool idea. I am looking for a nice big center piece for our dining room table since 2 years and cannot find anything that I like and that would match the rest. I think I will go for some blue and white vases or jars and decorate them with pink flowers. The little mirror plate underneath is another cool touch. I'll definitely look out for that, too. Thank you for sharing xoxo

Beautiful! Would love to read a home décor blog on all of your rugs....they are so hard to find at a reasonable price. You seem to have just the right eye for them. Are they something that you just have to bite the bullet and spend more on?

Hi Tiffany! I absolutely love your sense of style! Its so flawless. The blue and white pieces you showcased actually remind me of traditional Russian porcelain called Gzhel'. My Mom and aunts collect it and I love it a lot too. If you are interested check it out on this site ( I am not affiliated with it in anyway just my go to site for when I want to give a Russian gift and dont want to tote 10 suitcases from Moscow :)) http://www.fromrussia.com/russian-porcelain/gzhel-porcelain.htmlLove your blog and videos!

Hi Tiffany, I have followed your blog and watched your videos for years and your blue and white post inspired me to comment today, because I collect blue and white decor items too!! I specifically collect Delftware, which is a type of hand painted blue and white pottery that's been made in the Netherlands since the early 1500s. When my grandma passed away a few years ago, she left me her collection of Delftware which are mostly large plates and tiles with beautiful peacock motifs, windmills in a field, ships at sea or people walking through the snow. It's so much fun hunting for genuine pieces in antique shops and flea markets. My mom found the most beautiful cream cup and matching sugar bowl that she gave me for Christmas. But anyway you have beautiful taste and I love your posts! - http://www.royaldelft.com/index.asp?lang=2- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delftware

I absolutely love the blue and white pieces that you have added to your home! They are a perfect balance of vintage and modern, french country and asian inspiration! Love how your house has been coming together! Can't wait to see more!

Could you please tell me what kind of potted plant you have on top of your grandfather's library table? I want to get something similar. Also where do you find the topiaries that you have on your kitchen? Love your blog!

I have that same exact garden stool, mine is white with the same cutout/holes, I think yours is just painted. Mine originally came from kohls and they still have them there but we got ours for a STEAL at TJMaxx. I love the intriquite design on yours. It's beautiful.

Hi Tiffany, I love your blog, its so much fun to see your you tube videos and read all your posts. Thank you. I would like to know where the coaster is from? You have a candle set on it its right next to the three blue and white vases and I am looking for something similar. I can't tell if its wood or stone. Thank you Cecilia cecilia.montesano@yahoo.com :)